Whispers in the dark
by Shadowspeed2020
Summary: When strange things start happening at night,three teens get caught up in it all,battling strange monsters from the depths of nightmares, as well as their creaters,a strange company known as Nightrise
1. Summer Vacation

It was the beginning of another school day. In a few hours, all students would be spilling out of school for summer vacation. One of these students was wondering around the school, thinking about what he was going to do afterschool. He was fourteen, average height and very athletic. He was a little dark, normally giving some people an uneasy feeling around him. He had spiked black hair, but there were small, thin red stripes where his hair was spiked. He was wearing wristbands; one of them was white with a thick black stripe on either side with thinner grey stripe beside each of them. The other was a little smaller, almost completely black with a white skull and crossbones. He was wearing black jeans, and a dark blue shirt. He had a normal name, but most called him by his nickname, Shadow. Many of the teachers and other students called him this but there were others who called him various other names, but few of them were said to his face. As he walked past some stairs, a girl with shoulder length fair hair and blue eyes caught up with him. Her name was Amy, and was Shadow's sister. She was just as athletic as her brother, and was about the same height. The two of them were twins, but were almost nothing like each other. Amy was usually calm and mostly smiling in school, while Shadow always looked like someone had just ticked him off in a big way, usually being dark and quiet in school, while at home he was almost like a normal kid his age.

It was the last two classes of the day, and for Shadow and Amy, it meant it was PE class. The two of them preferred to run laps around the school, mostly being the first to finish. As Shadow ran halfway through his second lap, he passed one of the girls in his class. Her name was April, and she had hair that had a slight red shade to it. The two of them hardly ever spoke to each other, usually avoiding each other. As Shadow passed her, he glanced back for a second. As he did, he ran into two boys in another class, both of them a little taller than him. One of them was called Adam Young, and the other was called Steve Scott. Both of them liked nothing better than making others feel inferior to them, always picking on people smaller or weaker than them. They picked on Shadow a lot, thinking he would sooner or later break from their constant annoyances. Today though, they decided to simply show Shadow who was the "strongest". As Shadow tried to pass them, the two of them moved in front of him, constantly blocking them. As Shadow prepared to sprint past them, Adam pushed him onto the grass, laughing as Shadow almost fell. As Shadow got back onto the path, Adam and Steve were waiting for him, swinging their fists into his stomach. Shadow fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath. Before Adam and Steve could continue to hit him, April came into view, and the two boys started running. The last thing they wanted to do was to end up with April getting involved.

As Shadow started to breathe normally, April stopped beside him, kneeling down to see if he was okay. Though his legs were a little shaky, April managed to help him stand. As they started walking, April asked "So it was Adam and Steve who did this?" Shadow nodded, and April went on angrily "Why do those fat hardheads always have to prove their stronger than everyone? I'd love to see the day when someone brings them down to size and reality." As they rounded a turn, Adam and Steve were on top of the hill, shouting how Shadow had a crush on April and vice versa. As Shadow breathed a deep breath, he said quietly "Want that day to be today?" and the two of them ran after Adam and Steve, almost sprinting up the hill. Adam and Steve's eyes widened in fear, knowing shouting those things was a huge mistake. They sprinted off as Shadow and April made it to the top of the hill. As they slowed down, the two of them laughed a little at how Adam and Steve simply ran like scared rabbits when they tried to act tough. The two of them started running again, both of them completing their laps just as the last bell rang. As they went inside to get their bags, Adam and Steve finished their laps, eyes wide at how Shadow and April had beaten them. They sneaked inside quietly after them, grabbing their stuff and running back outside.

As Shadow and Amy walked home, they started feeling as though someone was following them. Amy looked behind them, seeing nothing suspicious. She looked to the other side of the street, seeing a man walking in the same direction as them. She nudged Shadow, who had also noticed him. They started running, thinking the man mightn't try to follow them. The two of them looked back and saw that the man had started chasing them. Amy and Shadow looked at each other with the same look of confusion, looking ahead of them to see a crowd of people from school in front of them. They disappeared into the crowd, making it hard for their pursuer to follow them. As they walked with the crowd, Amy whispered _"What the heck was all that about? I don't think that guy just wanted to talk to us, and who was he anyway?" _Shadow whispered back _"I have the faintest idea what the guy wanted, but chances are we won't meet him again. At least if he did catch us, we would have beaten him easy." _They stayed with the crowd until they got to their street, turning off and heading for an old house they called home.

Later that night, Shadow was listening to music on the computer, playing Land of Confusion by Disturbed as he surfed the net. Amy was watching TV, constantly changing channels to see what there was to watch. Their dad lived in the house next door, letting Shadow and Amy live in the old house on their own. Their dad was an inventor, but he always had time for them at the weekend, usually taking them to a variety of places. As Shadow flicked through his emails, he found one that stood out from the others. It was from a company called Nightrise and it contained a video that said below it "Do you believe nightmares can come true". Shadow stopped the music, pressing the play button. He watched as the same message appeared, and then leapt out of his chair as a demonic scream filled the speakers, echoing around the house. Amy leapt to her feet, walking cautiously over to the computer. She almost screamed at the picture the video had ended at, a creature that reminded her of something from the depths of nightmares. She looked to Shadow, who was breathing heavily and quickly, scared breathless by what he had just seen. The two of them looked at the clock, deciding it was time to get some sleep, despite what they had just seen and heard.


	2. Day of awakening

It was the 24th of July, and every teenager was enjoying summer vacation. It was nearing midnight, and there were very few people out in the streets of New York, many of them safe in their beds. Shadow and Amy were sleeping peacefully, having almost completely forgotten what had happened a few nights ago. Shadow was deep in sleep, thinking about how to spend tomorrow, when his cell phone rang. He woke up with a groan, checking the time. It was 11 o'clock. He groaned again as he reached for the phone, noticing he had a new message, he opened it, expecting it to be an annoying message from some idiot like Adam or Steve. His eyes widened when he read a little bit of it, not expecting who had sent it. Somehow, it had been sent by April, and he didn't believe it as he and April had hardly ever talked, let alone exchange phone numbers. Amy was still asleep, and there was a number included in the message. It was the phone number for April's best friend Shannon, and Shadow sometimes talked with her. He keyed the number into his phone, waiting as it rang.

Before he could say anything, Shannon, a little annoyed at getting woken in the middle of the night, almost shouted _"Adam if this is you, then you better hope tomorrow doesn't come cause the moment I find you I am going to throw off a cliff. If this is Steve, then you had better start running because you will regret ever meeting me and getting my number."_ Shadow held the phone at arm's length, almost deafened by Shannon shouting. When he was sure she'd calmed down a little, he said "So this is how you treat friends who simply try to call you?" He waited for Shannon to reply, and she said with surprise and slight embarrassment _"You heard all that didn't you?" _Shadow said quietly "I should start running, shouldn't I?" Shannon said _"Of course not, but more to the big question, how did you get my number?" _Shadow said calmly "I think you have April to thank for that. Any idea how she could have gotten my number?" Shannon replied, a little confused _"No, why'd you ask?"_ Shadow answered "Somehow she sent me a message telling me to call you and find out where she would be right about now. Mean anything to you?" Shannon paused for a moment, then said _"She as over at my house about half an hour ago. I think she mentioned something about taking the back alley in the park as shortcut. That help?"_ Shadow paused, and then said calmly "I think it might be just enough." Before she hung up, Shannon asked _"And you're going to do what exactly?"_ and with that, Shadow replied "I'm going to find her, since she asked me to come and help her."

The alley was dark and full of an ominous mist, giving Amy chills as they walked through it. She looked around, constantly seeing shadows moving. After Shadow had called Shannon, he'd woke her up and the two of them had left for the back alley in the park, finding it full of an unnatural mist. As they walked through it, they both heard something move, a low moaning as the mist seemed to swirl around them. Shadow turned to her, saying "You don't need to come here with me. Besides, someone should go ask Shannon about anything strange that's been going on." Amy nodded, saying as she left "Don't let the mist try to eat you," and ran back down the alley. Shadow kept walking, following the sound of the moaning. The further he walked through the mist, the more the moan sounded human. He looked around, seeing a shape in the mist. It looked like someone lying on the ground, and as he moved closer, the more familiar the person looked. It was April, lying almost completely limp and weak. As Shadow moved closer, he saw that she was breathing, but also felt something coming towards them through the mist.

Whatever was coming towards them was fast, knocking Shadow to the side as it dashed past them. Shadow looked up to see five men standing over April, preparing to carry her away. He got to his feet, sneaking up behind one of them. He reached out, grabbing the back of the man's neck. He pushed him to the ground, attracting the other men's attention. The men were already striking out at him. This time, Shadow was ready for them, dodging their attacks and countering with his own kicks and punches. The men stepped back as Shadow dashed towards them, striking each of them in the back of the neck before landing. As the small fight ended, April managed to wake up in time to see the men fall. She tried to stand up, still a little weak. Shadow took her by the hand, helping her to her feet. Before she could ask what happened, Shadow started leading her to the park, moving slow enough for her to keep up. As they walked, April said weakly "I see you got my message. I didn't think anyone would come since I just pressed random numbers. Guess I'm just lucky." The two of them made it to the park, with April gathering enough strength to walk on her own. As they prepared to run, the men from earlier caught up with them, ready to attack. This time, they had grabbed old pipes to use as weapons. Shadow got ready to fight, leaping at two of the men.

One of them managed to get behind April, grabbing her arms. Without thinking, April lashed out with a backwards kick, striking the man between the legs. He crumpled, his breath knocked out of him. April smiled a little; glad her parents had talked her into self defence classes. She ran at one of the other men, ready to strike, but he was ready for her, grabbing her wrist and twisting it painfully. She almost screamed, watching as another man came in to try and use something to keep her quiet. She yelled out in pain and fear, watching as Shadow dodged the attacks of two of the men. As she yelled, he paused for a second, long enough for the men to hit him in the head with a pipe. He fell to the ground, knocked unconscious. April watched as the two men who had struck him down moved in on her, ready to capture her. She screamed, and something deep inside Shadow stirred, like a powerful entity awakening after being asleep for so long.

He felt a strange power run through him, filling his veins with what felt like a warm fire. He started to feel his arms and legs, feeling the energy surge through them. He woke up, using his arms to support himself as he got up. The men were still concentrating on April, so they didn't notice him get to his feet. He looked towards them, saying "Five men on one girl? Those odds don't seem very even." The men turned on him just as he concentrated his new found energy into his hand, feeling something surround it. He raised his arm just as four men tried to jump him. Before anyone knew it, he fired a powerful blast of flames at them, sending the men flying onto their backs. He turned on the last one, who was holding a weak, limp April. He dropped her, throwing rocks at Shadow. Shadow simply launched another blast of flames, incinerating the rocks. As the men tried to run, Shadow prepared to give chase, but fell limp as the energy left him. He landed beside April, his hand resting on hers. Little did they know, they had just discovered a power within them both beyond imagination.


	3. Shadow and fear

The next morning, Shadow started to wake up, finding himself lying in the same place he'd fell, lying face down on the grass. He tried to get up, finding there was something under his left hand. He also heard laughing from someone standing above him. He looked to his left, seeing April lying face down beside him, her hand underneath his. He tried to get up, but found he couldn't get his hand off of April's. He propped himself up with his right hand, seeing that the people standing over him was Adam and Steve. He noticed tape in Steve's pocket, looking to see his left hand was taped to April's. She was waking up, but Adam and Steve didn't flinch. She looked up angrily at them, glancing at her hand taped to Shadow's. She wasn't in the best of moods, considering all that had happened last night had left her lying stuck out here. As Adam and Steve laughed their head off, Shadow grabbed a sharp stone, using it to cut the tape. Quietly, the two of them got up, tapping Adam and Steve on the shoulder. Though they were still laughing, their smiles were wiped off their faces, and before they could turn and run, April swung her knee right between Steve's legs, making his breath explode out of his mouth. Adam looked to Shadow, who had a look that said _"Get the heck out of here or you will regret ever being born," _and ran off before he found out what the look really meant, with Steve limping quickly behind him.

After Steve and Adam had sprinted off, Shadow and April headed towards the park gate, talking about what had happened last night. Shadow was about to mention the fire blasts, but when they got to the gate, Amy was waiting for them, saying with a hint of annoyance "You do know I had to cover for April last night, and that wasn't easy. I think you two owe me, big time," and started to walk off. April caught up with her, asking how she had managed to cover for her, while Shadow hanged back, thinking about last night, about how he had unleashed blasts of flames at the attackers. _"Did I really do that? How was it even possible?" _he thought to himself. He watched as April ran on ahead, probably heading home to try and explain things with her parents. Shadow caught up with Amy, asking "How exactly did you cover for her?" Amy smiled. "I had to tell dad, so he called her parents and said she was staying with some friends from school since it was getting too dark. I think they bought it, but she may have to explain why she didn't tell them first."

Later that evening, Shadow was lying on the sofa while Amy flicked through the channels on TV. They were both bored, and it was getting late again, so Shadow made his way up to his room, taking his MP3 player with him. He was about to head upstairs when he noticed someone at the door. He went over, opening the door and looking in shock. There was April, standing there with her clothes covered in blood. She looked scared, constantly looking behind her. Shadow closed the door a little, making it so Amy couldn't hear what he was saying. He stepped outside. "April? What.....what happened? What did you.....do?" She almost started to cry, her voice full of terror "Those men.....from last night. They came after me and......." Tears started to appear in her eyes, and, despite the blood covering her, Shadow hugged her, hoping to help calm her down. She stopped crying long enough to say "They killed my parents and took my sister. My brother and I managed to escape, but we got separated. I found out where you lived, and came straight here. Could I please.....?" Shadow didn't even need to think about it, almost instantly replying "Of course you can stay, and don't worry, you're safe now." The two stayed outside for a few more seconds, arms around each other. Adam and Steve were passing, but they simply stared in disbelief, walking right into a street light.

Later that night, Shadow, Amy and April settled down to watch TV, finding that the things they wanted to watch would be on later. Amy stopped on a news broadcast, about to change channel when she saw something that made the three of them listen closely. _"A brutal murder took place today, and, going by eyewitness reports, these two parents were killed by their own daughter," _and April's picture appeared on the screen. All three of them looked at each other, barely paying attention to the news report. Shadow remembered something from earlier, about how Adam and Steve had seen them and had walked straight into a street light. They would have obviously seen the news report, and would have reported them to the police. Sure enough, they heard a sound they hoped was just their imaginations. Police sirens sounded as squad cars came down the street, thundering towards their house. Shadow got to his feet, ready to fight as the police grew closer. Amy did the same, and April stood up, asking the both of them "You two are going to take on the police. It looks like they have an entire squadron out there." Shadow simply made his way to the door, saying "I've handled tougher opponents, and some of them haven't ended up in crutches," and left. Amy followed close behind, and April went with them, hoping to try and help in any way possible.

The sight that greeted them was what looked like a small army. It was what was expected, since the news had said April would probably be armed and very dangerous. As they walked out the door, they looked over what felt like a large sea of police uniforms. The police had their weapons drawn, aiming at the doorway. Shadow was the first to step out, greeted by all guns pointed at him. April and Amy came just behind him, obeying a police order to put their hands up. This was the moment Shadow had been waiting for, and he started to summersault towards the police. He was halfway across the garden before one of the officers threw something at him, knocking him out cold. Amy and April ran over to try and aid him, but the police started firing, taking this as a threat. As the bullets fired, Shadow started to move, getting to his feet quickly and sending forth a wave of flames, disintegrating the bullets. The fact Amy and April were in danger was the key to his new "fire power". The police, though awestruck, prepared to fire again, one of them firing straight at April. Shadow and Amy stepped aside, thinking the bullet was coming towards them. April wasn't so fortunate, fixed to the spot as the bullet flew towards her.

What happened next was the last thing anyone thought possible, for April seemed to disappear, leaving a black cloud where she once stood. The bullet flew past it, and April re-emerged, shocked at what she had just done. She looked towards the police in a way that filled them with dread. She ran towards them, somehow managing to leap across the police and get behind them. Without thinking, she outstretched her arm, launching a blast of what looked like black mist. The police retreated back into their squad cars and driving away as fast as possible. Amy looked from Shadow to April, amazed at what they had just done. Somehow, she knew that this was the beginning of something that would change their lives forever.


End file.
